Rwanda announced Monday that it was phasing out analogue passports issued before 27th June 2019 to pave way for new electronic ones.
“Inviting you to apply for the new e-Passport. From 28th June 2022, old passports (issued before 27th June 2019 ) shall be phased out,” said Rwanda Directorate General of Immigration and Emigration.
The new passports feature enhanced security features ruling out chances of forgery and identity theft. Among the new features include a microchip, which makes it tamper-proof that will capture biometric data ensuring identification of the holder.
The categories include ordinary passport for minors valid for two years (Rwf25,000 or $2 USD), ordinary 5-year passport with 50 pages (Rwf75,000 or $75 USD), ordinary 10-year passport with 66 pages (Rwf100,000 or $ 100 USD ), service passport with 5-year validity (Rwf15,000 or $ 15 USD) and diplomatic passport (Rwf50,000 about $50 USD).
In August 2020, holders of the Rwandan passport were given a two-year grace period to replace their passports with East Africa e-passports, when the country begun issuing the East Africa e-passport in line with the country’s commitment to promote regional integration as envisioned by East African Community (EAC) partner states.
The e-passport, which is also used in other EAC partner countries including Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, grants its holders access to more countries without stringent visa requirements, according to the statement.
EAC heads of state launched the East Africa e-passport and directed the commencement of its issuance during the 17th ordinary summit of the EAC heads of state in March 2016 in Arusha, Tanzania.
CU/abj/APA